Last year I wrote a post which became quite popular about 51 things I learnt selling Spanish property in 2011. You can read it here. This year I decided to repeat it.
However I thought I would only do 25 this year as I might not have learnt so much. Nevertheless, when I got round to writing it (Actually dictating it into Siri then sending it to myself) I found that the lessons just kept on flowing. So instead of 25 things I now have the traditional 51 things that I have learnt working in Spanish Property in the last year, 2012 (And I have also added in the first lesson of 2013 just as a bonus)
SPM6 Cover
So here we have 51 things I learnt from selling Spanish property and doing various other things in 2013.
1) I should make more video because video works
2) Build a new platform and watch how are the agents flock to it
3) Old-style networking beats any other type of meeting
WABAS Meeting in Valencia November 2012
4) It is possible to increase sales and be more successful during a recession when all of the market is going the other way. (A repeat of last year)
5) If you project doom depression and gloom you will get doom depression and gloom
6) It is easier to run a business in the UK from Spain than it is to run a business in Spain from Spain
7) Giving more choice means fewer sales
8 )The lack of a plan is not a hinderence
9) Side projects can compliment a main business very well
10) The more open you are to possibilities the more possibilities drop in your lap
11) Life is fun if you allow it to be
12) It is possible to set up a cricket club even in Valencia
Valencia Cricket
13) Never give up what you enjoy doing
14) Give up what you don’t enjoy doing as soon as possible
15) Don’t believe the hype and don’t be drawn in by negativity when possibilities are always available (Another repeat from last year but expanded a bit)
16) Take lots of photos, especially of sunsets
Sunset and Yachts in Alicante
17) Don’t take on properties that you will never sell
18) The first video to get 1 billion views was Gangnam Style. There is one ambition gone now 
19) Road trips are cool and cement business relationships
Appearing in Essential Magazine in Marbella on the Spanish Road Trip
20) Doing conferences in Spanish is fun
21) Making things a win win or even a win win win situation for all parties involved works really really well
22) There is always another way to do things better than the current way you are doing them.
23) The money is in the network not in the list however there is money in the list if you know what to do with that list
24) Get involved with things that you do not currently understand it’s a great opportunity for learning and growth
25) Sometimes you just know too much
26) (and it’s a cruel one this one) The crisis is an opportunity in fact it is the biggest opportunity ever if you have the right mindset
27) Without confidence in yourself you have nothing
28) And I learnt this one in five years ago I relearnt it this year; E+R=O. Event plus reaction equals outcome
The Kids Are Alright
29) Extremes work as long as you have chosen the right target to aim for
30) You don’t get anywhere without consistency. Example learning French
31) Don’t trust campsites to have working Wi-Fi. Always have a backup plan
32) Tourist offices are good as a backup plan
33) (And a controversial one). SEO is effectively dead in its previous form
34) Collaboration, collaboration, collaboration
Big Things Take Time
35) Big things take time, more time than you may think.
36) Having the tool doesn’t necessarily mean doing the work
37) The Spanish state is using fines in order to fund government
38) Never trust a politician from any party and it never expect them to be competent
39) Don’t be shy. The more you talk, the more you listen, the more success you have
40) Everybody else is as scared as you are. You have no reason to worry about what other people think
41) Once you start a project it develops a life of its own. If it doesn’t it isn’t a good project
Writers and Bloggers About Spain Meet Up
42) The creation of a like-minded group and the curation of their content will help you too
43) Sometimes there is no hope for some people. Give them up and get away from them
44) Spain still doesn’t get it
45) Things will never be the same so get used to the idea
46) There comes a time where you have to give up something. Make sure to fill the vacuum with something else
47) The TV is Satan and if Marx were around today he would say it is the total opium of the people. It works better than religion by far.
48) There is always more time available than you imagine
49) Think big, think different, but always think
50) Brick walls are not there especially for you to bang your head against they are there to get you to think differently
51) iPhone + Camera + Snapseed + Distribution = Awesome
Alicante Nighttime Views
So that’s it for this year. A quick fifty. Now if you want any of them explained feel free to post in the comments and ask me what the hell I mean or tell me that I am totally and utterly wrong. Is this too positive, is it too negative or is it something you would expect? Finally what can you add and what have you learnt in the last year? Which one or ones are your favourites?
Oh, by the way, just to finish on a positive note, one from 2013. Baiting defence lawyers in court is fun. In fact taking the piss out of them should be declared a national sport.
And a little treat for you (For the six people on the planet who haven’t seen it yet)
